What children learn from sexual abuse prevention programs: Difficult concepts and developmental issues

Objective: Social workers have long been concerned about whether child-directed school-based programs are effective in preventing sexual abuse. Knowing children's prior knowledge of abuse prevention concepts and what changes after intervention would be invaluable to program personnel. Method: This secondary analysis involved 231 elementary school children who were randomly assigned (matched by age) to participate in the "Who Do You Tell" sexual abuse prevention program (n = 117) or in a wait-list control condition (n = 114). Chi-square analyses compared changes on each item of the Children's Knowledge of Abuse Questionnaire-Revised based on treatment versus control condition and developmental level (ages 5 to 7 compared to ages 8 to 13). Results: Three items significantly improved for children in the program as compared to those in the control condition across ages. Conclusions: The results suggest several changes in teaching prevention concepts.